Singer Cami Thompson has traveled all over the world, but Reno keeps drawing her back.

Thompson has lived full-time in the Bay area for the past 18 years, but the sixth-generation Nevadan never stopped visiting and performing locally. In February, she and her husband, Scott Lenau, reinforced her Nevada connection by purchasing a home in Reno, a decision inspired by the fact that she was here much of the time anyway.

Thompson and Lenau are keeping their San Francisco apartment, but the Reno house gives Thompson plenty of space to work with her Northern Nevada vocal students. It also gives her a place to unwind while preparing for shows like the two she has scheduled at Brüka Theatre today and May 12. For today’s production, “A Broadway Evening,” Thompson will perform some of her favorite showtunes, including many that she first performed on Reno stages. Her May 12 show, “Under the Influence of Love,” is less traditional, and Thompson promises an intimate look at the ups and downs of interpersonal relationships.

“The Broadway evening is pretty much just a parade of Broadway songs,” Thompson said.

In that production, Thompson will perform with accompaniment by pianist Peter Supersano and bass player Joe McKenna, and audiences will hear a selection that includes “The Worst Pies In London” from “Sweeney Todd,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” from “Show Boat” and “I Got Rhythm” from “Girl Crazy.” Although “Under the Influence of Love” is also a song-based production, Thompson said the material is more emotionally intense because of the subject matter. For that performance, she is adding percussionist Eric Middleton, and she hopes to build a connection with the audience.

“That’s going to be a personal journey for me, trying to recapture all the crazy, sometimes desperate, paths that I took toward love while growing up,” Thompson said. “I’m going to be laying a lot on the line, and it’s going to be very intimate. People may learn things about me that they didn’t want to know. But that’s OK because I think that’s what art is about. … I’m not the kind of person that likes to separate myself from my audience anyway. I really try to get in there and get with them so they go on the journeys with me. I don’t want them to think I’m great. I want them to understand.”

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While a show titled “Under the Influence of Love” may conjure visions of sappy ballads, Thompson said it’s more than a parade of mushy love songs. She’ll be performing music by everyone from Todd Rundgren to Oscar Hammerstein, and the songs look at both negative and positive aspects of love.

Both shows are slated for Brüka’s 64-seat main stage, meaning audience members will be right on top of the action. Thompson said she plans to take advantage of the intimacy and reach out to them.

“Along the way there will be some conversations, dialogues,” she said. “I might even take questions.”

People who have followed Thompson’s career know that she’s not only a fine singer but a veteran actress. These performances won’t feature theatrical trappings, like monologues or sketches, but Thompson said her acting chops should shine through.

“Every time I sing a song I am, in effect, acting because I am creating a story,” she said. “I think good singing always incorporates good storytelling. … My intention is to bring a connection to the lyrics.”

While growing up in Reno, Thompson was constantly exposed to music because her mother was a church pianist and her father was the leader of a local dance band. Although she briefly flirted with another profession, the draw of music was too strong. She remembers leaving Reno for one year with the intention of studying international relations at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

“As soon as I got there, I changed all of my courses to music and theater,” she said. “I guess I innately knew that art would be a much greater influence on the human consciousness than politics will ever be.”

So, Thompson returned home and began studying at the University of Nevada, Reno while performing at every opportunity. Although she has more than 120 college credits, she hasn’t completed a degree, in large part because she frequently left school for gigs.

“I would get halfway through (the semester) and get booked on a show,” she said. “Invariably, it would be the day after you could get your money back.”

Thompson said she would love to go back to school some day and study more music theory, but she is keeping plenty busy without a degree. Along with performing, she intermittently works with about 100 vocal students in Reno and 60 in the Bay area, and she doesn’t have any plans to slow down.

“I love it too much,” she said. “I love being on stage. I love creating shows. I love writing shows. I love talking to people about music.”